The
drug comprises fresh or dried leaves, often mixed with stems
or other aerial parts.

Morphological
characteristics of drugThe
powdered drug is greyish brown and tastes bitter, with characteristic
odour. The drug is official in IP. Foreign organic matter
should not be more than two per cent.

Cultivars
(including improved Varieties) A lot of intra-specific variability
is seen in this species. However, no improved cultivar / strain
has been reported to be developed.

CultivationThe
shrub grows on waste lands and in a variety of habitats and
soil. It is sometimes cultivated as a hedge, but no systematic
cultivation has been undertaken. It can be grown from seeds
or by cuttings.

CollectionTheaerial portions with maximum leaves along with tender stem
are collected.

Traditional
Knowledge (Ethnobotanical / Folk-lores / House hold remedies
/ Self help mode)The
dried leaf is smoked as a cigarette. The leaf-juice is stated
to cure diarrhoea, dysentery and glandular tumour, and is given
as emmenagogue. The powder is reported to be used as poultice
on rheumatic joints, as counter-irritant on inflammatory swellings,
on fresh wounds, urticaria and in neuralgia.

ChemistryFour new quinazoline alkaloids
- vasicoline, adhatodine, vasicolinone and anisotine from leaves
and one each i.e. vasicinone and vasicol have been isolated
from inflorescence and leaves respectively. A new alkaloid -
9-acetamido-3,4-dihydropyrido[3,4-b] indole and a new glucoside
- O-ethyl-a -D-galactoside - along with sitosterol-b -D-glucoside,
galactose and deoxyvasicinone were isolated from roots. 2’-hydroxy-4-glucosyloxychalcone
have been identified in flowers. Another alkaloid vasicinolone,
have been isolated from roots. A new quinazoline alkaloid have
been isolated from leaves and characterised as 1,2,3,9-tetrahydro5-methoxypyrrolo[2,1-b]quinazolin-3-ol(I-form).Adhavasinone
have been isolated and characterised . (+)vasicinone have been
isolated from leaves.Synthesis of vasicoline and vasicolinone
have been attempted.

Vasicinol,
vasicinone, deoxyvasicinone, deoxyvasicine (minor alkaloids)
and vasicine isolated from leaves showed seasonal variation
in the percentage of minor alkaloids and total alkaloids. Leaves
collected in Mar.-Apr. showed a higher percentage of minor alkaloids,
whereas those collected in June-Sept. had higher content of
vasicine.

29-methyltriacontan-1-ol
along with b -sitosterol, and two new aliphatic hydroxyketones
have been isolated from aerial parts and characterised as 37-hydroxy,
hexatetracont-1-en-15-one and 37hydroxy,hentetracontan-19-one.

Chemical
markers Severalalkaloids are present in the drug and the chief principle
is a quinazoline alkaloid, vasicine; the yield of the alkaloid
from different samples in India ranged from 0.541 to 1.105 per
cent on dry basis. Yield as high as 2.18 per cent on dry basis
has been reported from a foreign sample of which more than half
was the l -form and the remainder the dl-form
of the alkaloid. Vasicine is accompanied by l- vasicinone.

Pharmacology

(a)Bioactivity
The
pharmacological activities of vasicine and vasicinone are well
known. The /-forms of vasicine and vasicinone are more active
than their racemic forms. Recent investigations on vasicine
showed bronchodilatory activity (comparable to theophylline)
both in vitro and in vivo. Vasicinone showed bronchodilatory
activity in vitro but bronchoconstrictory activity in
vivo; it is probably biotransformed in vivo, causing
bronchoconstriction. Both the alkaloids in combination (1:1)
showed pronounced bronchodilatory activity in vivo and in
vitro. Vasicine also exhibited strong respiratory stimulant
activity, moderate hypotensive activity and cardiac-depressant
effect; vasicinone was devoid of these activities. The cardiac-depressant
effect was significantly reduced when a mixture of vasicine
and vasicinone was used. Vasicinone (dl-form) showed
no effect on the isolated heart, but probably the l-form
is a weak cardiac stimulant. Clinical
trials of a commercial drug containing vasicinone and vasicinone
have not revealed any side effects while treating bronchial
asthma. The drug is known to possess abortifacient activity
and hence should not be used during pregnancy.

(b)ToxicityTwo
generation of teratogenic studies in rat & rabbits did not
any toxicity or teratogenic effects.

Formulation
The
drug is employed in different forms, such as fresh juice, decoction,
infusion and powder; also given as alcoholic extract and liquid
extract or syrup. It is also given along with other expectorants,
and forms a part of several proprietary, compounds.

General
usage The
shrub is the source of the drug - vasaka, well known
in the indigenous systems of medicine for its beneficial effects,
particularly in bronchitis. The leaves, flowers, fruits and
roots are extensively used for treating cold. cough, whooping-cough
and chronic bronchitis and asthma as sedative-expectorant, antispasmodic
and as anthelmintic.

Dose
1-2g of the drug is prescribed as an expectorant
either in the form of liquid extract (1-2 ml) or syrup (2-4
ml).

Commercial
aspects

(a)
ProductionDrug
is collected from wild sources only.

(b) Demand
In India
the total demand is 500 tons per year

(c) Market
Trends (price)Dry
leaves alone as well as dry leaves along with stem portions
are two different statuses of the crude drugs available in the
market. The current year price have been quoted at Rs.2000/-
to Rs.2500/- and Rs.600/- to Rs.800/- per quintal., respectively.

(d) Trade
resource Herbal
Drug Dealers at Amritsar and Delhi are the major supply center
of vasaca as crude drug.

Major
Users Ayurvedic
drug manufacturers and Pharmaceutical cough syrup manufacturers
are the major users of this drug.

PatentsThere
are only two Japanese patents on the use of Adhathoda vasica
in cosmatics.

2.
" Cosmatic " Nanba Tsuneo and Mikimoto Pharmaceutics.
Co. Ltd. JP
7118135 ; 1993. The purpose
of the patent is to obtain a cosmetic containing solvent extracts
of A.vasica used for food for many years being safe to
human body. It also helps in whitening action and inhibiting
the activity of hyaluronidase.

Kumar,
S. and K. Gopal 1999.Screening of plant species for inhibition
of bacterial population of raw water.Journal of Environmental
Science and Health.Part A Toxic Hazardous Substances and Environmental
Engineering.34(4): 975-87.